Process of and apparatus for cooling wire rods.



PATENTED AUG. 11,' 1908.

y F. DANIELS. y A PROCESS OFv J1P?!'LJJIUS FOB. COOLING WIRE RODS.

APPLIS-HON FILED MAY 11,1907.y

WITNESSES www FRED H. DANIELS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

4PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR COOLING WIRE RODS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1908.

Application filed May 11, 1907. serial No. 373,097.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRED H. DANIELS, of Worcester, in the county ofI/Vorcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in the Process of and Apparatus for Cooling Wire Rods, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in Which- Figure l is a sectional elevation of one formof apparatus embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation,also partly diagrammatic, of another form of the apparatus.

The object of my invention is to provide a.-

method and apparatus for cooling` iron or steel rods after they havebeen rolled in a rolling mill, by which oxidation is prevented and thecooling process is stopped in time to prevent hardeningto an undueextent, which hardening takes place at a fixed temperature, dependingupon the amount of carbon which is present in the metal. I accomplishthis object by immediately submerging the coil, While still red hot, ornear it, in water,'which excludes the air and at the same time quicklycools the coil. In a predetermined time, the coil is removed from theWater bath, care being taken that it does not remain therein long enoughto become so thoroughly cooled as to render the metal brittle. If it isleft in the Water the proper length of time and is removed at a very lowred heat, scaling is prevented, the waste from the scale is saved andthe metal is not hardened. A coil so treated also cleans with very muchless acid. I may also subj ect the metal While it is being coiled to anair-excluding atmosphere.

Various forms of coiling apparatus may be employed in carrying out myinvention, the particular construction of the coiling reels beingimmaterial so long as means are provided for preventing oxidation of themetal While in the hot state.

Referring to the form of apparatus shown in Fi l, the Wire rod is coiledon the horizonta reel, being guided throughl pipe 3, over deiiector 5and coil formed on stationary plate 7. When the air excludingatmosfphere is used, the coil as it is formed, is being sprayed by Waterprojected upwards through pipes 9 striking reflector 8. The water thuspartly forms steam and partly vaper Without air coming in contact Withthe hot rod. The

coil is then at once transferred to the water tank 10, when it is atonce immersed and partially cooled, yet Without hardening, but enough toadmit its being taken up without danger of oxidizing in t-he air. Thismethod of cooling the rod admits4 of a wide range of adjustment to suitvarious qualities of steel; e. g., very soft steel rods may be quicklyremoved from the reel to the Water tank and immediately quenched in thesaid tank; While hard steel rods may be left longer on the reel to 'coololf more slowly, and then finally quenched in water. In other cases thecoil may be removed from the reel without being put in water, or thecoil may be treated in the Water tank alone without spraying the coilwhile on the reel.

The form of apparatus shown in Fig. 2 is similar to that shown in Fig.l, except that the ceiling reel and table are in an inclined plane, sothat when the centering studs 13 are withdrawn by means of the counter'-Weighted lever mechanism 14, the coil will slide by gravity down theinclined. chute 1,5 into the tank l0. From this tank it is lifted by aconveyer 11', and carried to a conveyer 12 in the same manner as in theform of apparatus first described. l

I do not limit myself to the production of an air-excluding atmosphereof steam and vapor by means of the jets of Water directed against areflecting surface in the manner above described, since the same resultmay be obtained by the direct use of steam or other gaseous fluid,.or byatomizing the Water in the neighborhood of the coil in various Ways. Thewater may also be brought into contact with the metal before the Waterenters the reel, the principal and novel feature being the Water tankinto which the coil may by immersed immediately after reeling.

Various other changes may be made in the apparatus a'nd in the manner ofusing the same, Without departing from my invention, since Vhat I claimis:

1. The herein described method of treating metal rods, which consists inceiling them and then immediately submerging them in a cooling bathWhile still hot,v and removing. them from said bath before they havefully cooled; substantially as described.

2. The herein described method of cooling metal rods after rolling,Which -consists in ceiling them in an air-excluding atmosphere, wherebythey are gradually cooled Without oxidation, and then further partiallycooling them by immersing them in Water and removing them from the Waterbefore they have fully cooled; substantially as described.

3. The herein described method of cooling wire rods after rolling whichconsists in coiling them in an air-excluding atmosphere of steam andWater vapor, then immediately submerging the coil in a Water bath, andre moving the coil from the bath before it has 'fully cooled;substantially as described.

4. In apparatus for cooling metal rods at ter rolling, a coilingapparatus, a Water atonr izing device adjacent thereto, and a coolingtank; substantially as described.

5. In apparatus for cooling metal rods after rolling, the combination ofa ceiling apparatus, a cooling tank arranged to receive the coilsimmediately after they are released from the reel, and a conveyer or thelike for removing the coils from the tank; substan-vv tially asdescrilfied. A

6. In apparatus for cooling metal rods after rolling, a coilingapparatus, means for producing an air-excluding atmosphere about therods as they ar'ebeing coiled, a cooling tank adjacent to the coolingapparatus and designed to receive the' coils immediately after they areremoved from the reel, and means for removing the coils Jfrom thecooling tank after being partially cooled, substantially as described. v

eeaeve 7. In apparatus for treating metal rods, a ceiling device,acooling tank adjacent to the ceiling device and designed to receive thecoils immediately after vthey are removed from the ceiling device, and aconveyer for removing the coils from said tank before they have had timeto fullycool ,substantially as described.

8. in apparatus for cooling metal rods after ironing, a ceilingapparatus, and means lior directing Water vapor or spray upon the coilto thereby form an air-excluding and cooling atmosphere therefor;substantially as described. v l

9. In apparatus :For treating metal rods after cooling, a ceiling deviceo ien to the air, means for producing an air-excV uding atmosphere abouttheiods as they are being coiled, cooling tank arranged to receive thecoils t as soon' as they are removed from the coiling device, and aconveyor, said tankand conveyer being so constructed and arranged-thatthecoils can be removed from the tank be fore they have fully cooled;substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof, l have hereunto set my hand. v l FRED' H. DANELS.

Witnesses:

MLF. SHEEHAN., WiL/A. `Bacon f

